使徒行传 12
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
雅各殉道，彼得被囚
12 那时，希律王下手苦害教会中的几个人， 2 用刀杀了约翰的哥哥雅各。 3 他见这事博得了犹太人的欢心，就在除酵节期间，再次捉拿彼得。 4 捉到了，就把他关在监里，交给四班士兵看守，每班四个人，打算过了逾越节，把他提出来交给民众。 5 彼得就这样被拘留在监里；但教会却为他迫切地祈求 神。
天使救彼得出监
6 希律要提他出来的前一夜，彼得被两条锁炼锁住，睡在两个士兵中间，还有卫兵守在门前。 7 忽然，有主的一位使者出现，牢房里就光芒四射。天使拍拍彼得的肋旁，唤醒他，说：“快起来！”他手上的锁炼就脱落了。 8 天使对他说：“束上带子，穿上鞋！”他就这样作了。天使又说：“披上外衣，跟我走！” 9 他就出来跟着天使走，但他不知道天使所作的事是真的，还以为是见了异象。 10 他们经过第一、第二两个岗位，来到通往城内的铁门，那门自动给他们开了。他们出来，往前走了一条街，天使立刻离开了他。 11 彼得清醒过来，说：“现在我确实知道，主差他的天使来，救我脱离希律的手和犹太人所期望的一切。” 12 他明白了之后，就到约翰（别名马可）的母亲马利亚家里去；有许多人聚集在那里祷告。 13 彼得敲了大门，有一个名叫罗大的使女，出来应门。 14 她认出是彼得的声音，欢喜到顾不得开门，就跑进去报告，说彼得站在门外。 15 大家说：“你疯了！”她却坚持地说这是真的。他们说：“一定是他的天使。” 16 彼得继续敲门；他们打开了，一见是他，就非常惊讶。 17 彼得作了一个手势，要他们安静，然后对他们述说主怎样领他出监，又说：“你们把这些事告诉雅各和众弟兄。”就离开那里，到别的地方去了。
18 天亮的时候，士兵们非常慌乱，不知彼得出了甚么事。 19 希律搜索他，却找不到，就审问卫兵，下令把他们带出去处死。后来希律离开犹太，到该撒利亚去，住在那里。
希律被 神击打
20 当时希律对推罗和西顿人怀怒在心。这两地的人因为他们的地区都需要从王的领土得到粮食，就先拉拢了王的内侍臣伯拉斯都，然后同心地去见希律，要向他求和。 21 到了定好的日期，希律穿上王服，坐在高台上，向他们演讲。 22 群众大声说：“这是 神的声音，不是人的声音！” 23 他不归荣耀给 神，所以主的使者立刻击打他，他被虫咬，就断了气。
24 神的道日渐兴旺，越发广传。 25 巴拿巴和扫罗完成了送交捐项的任务，就带著名叫马可的约翰，从耶路撒冷回来。
Faptele Apostolilor 12
Cornilescu 1924 - Revised 2010, 2014
Petru izbăvit din temniţă
12 Cam pe aceeaşi vreme, împăratul Irod a pus mâinile pe unii din biserică, pentru ca să-i chinuiască, 2 şi a ucis cu sabia pe Iacov, fratele(A) lui Ioan. 3 Când a văzut că lucrul acesta place iudeilor, a mai pus mâna şi pe Petru. (Erau zilele(B) Praznicului Azimilor.) 4 După ce l-a prins(C) şi l-a băgat în temniţă, l-a pus sub paza a patru cete de câte patru ostaşi, cu gând ca după Paşte să-l scoată înaintea norodului. 5 Deci Petru era păzit în temniţă, şi Biserica nu înceta să înalţe rugăciuni către Dumnezeu pentru el. 6 În noaptea zilei când avea de gând Irod să-l înfăţişeze la judecată, Petru dormea între doi ostaşi, legat de mâini cu două lanţuri, şi nişte păzitori păzeau temniţa la uşă. 7 Şi iată, un înger al Domnului a stat lângă el pe neaşteptate şi o lumină a strălucit în temniţă. Îngerul(D) a deşteptat pe Petru, lovindu-l în coastă, şi i-a zis: „Scoală-te, iute!” Lanţurile i-au căzut jos de pe mâini. 8 Apoi, îngerul i-a zis: „Încinge-te şi leagă-ţi încălţămintele”. Şi el a făcut aşa. Îngerul i-a mai zis: „Îmbracă-te în haină, şi vino după mine”. 9 Petru a ieşit afară şi a mers după el, fără(E) să ştie dacă ce făcea îngerul este adevărat. I se părea că are(F) o vedenie. 10 După ce au trecut de straja întâi şi a doua, au ajuns la poarta de fier, care dă în cetate, şi ea(G) li s-a deschis singură; au ieşit şi au trecut într-o uliţă. Îndată, îngerul a plecat de lângă el. 11 Când şi-a venit Petru în fire, a zis: „Acum văd cu adevărat că Domnul a(H) trimis pe îngerul Său şi m-a(I) scăpat din mâna lui Irod şi de la tot ce aştepta poporul iudeu”. 12 După ce şi-a dat bine seama de cele întâmplate, s-a(J) îndreptat spre casa Mariei, mama lui(K) Ioan, zis şi Marcu, unde erau adunaţi mulţi laolaltă şi se rugau(L). 13 A bătut la uşa care dădea în pridvor, şi o slujnică, numită Roda, a venit să vadă cine e. 14 A cunoscut glasul lui Petru şi, de bucurie, în loc să deschidă, a alergat înăuntru să dea de veste că Petru stă înaintea porţii. 15 „Eşti nebună!” i-au zis ei. Dar ea stăruia şi spunea că el este. Ei, dimpotrivă, ziceau: „Este(M) îngerul lui”. 16 Petru însă bătea mereu. Au deschis şi au rămas încremeniţi când l-au văzut. 17 Petru le-a făcut(N) semn cu mâna să tacă, le-a istorisit cum îl scosese Domnul din temniţă şi a zis: „Spuneţi lucrul acesta lui Iacov şi fraţilor”. Apoi a ieşit şi s-a dus într-alt loc. 18 Când s-a făcut ziuă, ostaşii au fost într-o mare fierbere, ca să ştie ce s-a făcut Petru. 19 Irod, după ce l-a căutat în toate părţile şi nu l-a aflat, a luat la cercetare pe păzitori şi a poruncit să-i omoare. În urmă, s-a pogorât din Iudeea la Cezareea, ca să rămână acolo.
Moartea lui Irod
20 Irod era foarte mâniat pe cei din Tir şi din Sidon. Dar aceştia au venit toţi într-un gând la el şi, după ce au câştigat de partea lor pe Blast, care era mai mare peste odaia de dormit a împăratului, au cerut pace, pentru că ţara(O) lor se hrănea din ţara împăratului. 21 Într-o zi anumită, Irod s-a îmbrăcat cu hainele lui împărăteşti, a şezut pe scaunul lui împărătesc şi le vorbea. 22 Norodul a strigat: „Glas de Dumnezeu, nu de om!” 23 Îndată l-a(P) lovit un înger al Domnului, pentru că nu(Q) dăduse slavă lui Dumnezeu. Şi a murit mâncat de viermi. 24 Însă Cuvântul(R) lui Dumnezeu se răspândea tot mai mult, şi numărul ucenicilor se mărea. 25 Barnaba şi Saul, după ce şi-au împlinit însărcinarea, s-au întors din Ierusalim, luând(S) cu ei pe Ioan(T), zis şi Marcu.
Acts 12
New King James Version
Herod’s Violence to the Church
12 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. 2 Then he killed James (A)the brother of John with the sword. 3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during (B)the Days of Unleavened Bread. 4 So (C)when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four [a]squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.
Peter Freed from Prison
5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but [b]constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were [c]keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, (D)an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 9 So he went out and followed him, and (E)did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought (F)he was seeing a vision. 10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, (G)which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that (H)the Lord has sent His angel, and (I)has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”
12 So, when he had considered this, (J)he came to the house of Mary, the mother of (K)John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together (L)praying. 13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. 15 But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, (M)“It is his angel.”
16 Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 But (N)motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place.
18 Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small [d]stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. 19 But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death.
And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.
Herod’s Violent Death
20 Now Herod had been very angry with the people of (O)Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus [e]the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because (P)their country was [f]supplied with food by the king’s country.
21 So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. 22 And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” 23 Then immediately an angel of the Lord (Q)struck him, because (R)he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and [g]died.
24 But (S)the word of God grew and multiplied.
Barnabas and Saul Appointed
25 And (T)Barnabas and Saul returned [h]from Jerusalem when they had (U)fulfilled their ministry, and they also (V)took with them (W)John whose surname was Mark.
Footnotes
- Acts 12:4 Gr. tetrads, squads of four
- Acts 12:5 NU constantly or earnestly
- Acts 12:6 guarding
- Acts 12:18 disturbance
- Acts 12:20 who was in charge of the king’s bedchamber
- Acts 12:20 Lit. nourished
- Acts 12:23 breathed his last
- Acts 12:25 NU, M to
Acts 12
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 12
Persecution, Death, and Imprisonment.[a] 1 It was about this period of time that King Herod[b] persecuted certain members of the Church. 2 He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword, 3 and when he noted that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well. Since this happened during the feast of Unleavened Bread, 4 he imprisoned him and assigned four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to subject him to a public trial after Passover. 5 While Peter was thus imprisoned, the Church prayed fervently to God for him.
6 On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter, secured by two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while guards outside the door were keeping watch over the prison. 7 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light flooded the building. He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell away from his wrists. 8 Next, the angel said to him, “Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.” After he did so, the angel instructed him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
9 Accordingly, Peter followed him out. He did not realize that the intervention of the angel was real, thinking that he was seeing a vision. 10 After passing through the first guard post and then the second, they reached the iron gate that led out to the city. This opened for them of its own accord. They went outside and had walked the length of one street when suddenly the angel left him.
11 Then Peter came to his senses and said, “Now I am positive that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 As soon as he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, also called Mark,[c] where many had assembled and were at prayer.
13 When he knocked at the outer door, a maid named Rhoda came to answer it. 14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran in with the news that Peter was standing outside. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind,” but she insisted that it was true. Then they said, “It must be his angel.”
16 Meanwhile, Peter continued to knock, and when they opened the door they saw him and were astounded. 17 He motioned to them with his hand to be silent. After he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison, he said, “Report this to James[d] and the brethren.” Then he left and went to another place.
18 At daybreak, there was a great deal of commotion among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. 19 After instituting a search for him and being unable to find him, Herod interrogated the guards and ordered their execution. Then he left Judea to reside for a while in Caesarea.
20 Death of Herod Agrippa I.[e] For a long time, Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, who now came to him in a body. After gaining the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace because their country depended on the king’s territory for their food supplies.
21 On the designated day, Herod donned his royal robes and, seated on a throne, delivered a public address to them. 22 They began to acclaim him, shouting, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!” 23 Immediately, the angel of the Lord struck him down because he had not attributed the honor to God. He was eaten away by worms and died.
24 Return of Barnabas and Saul to Jerusalem.[f] Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread and gain more followers. 25 Then, after Barnabas and Saul had completed their mission, they returned to Jerusalem, bringing with them John, also called Mark.[g]
Footnotes
- Acts 12:1 Death and imprisonment are the fate of the disciple. Jesus has foretold it emphatically. Herod puts James (“the Greater”), the brother of John, to death by the sword. Since this pleases some of the Jews, he intends to put Peter to death, too, and takes him into custody. But Peter is freed from prison by an angel and goes back to the community, which rejoices that he is freed. Peter now departs from Acts without any indication of his further activity and his fate—martyrdom. Luke also leaves us in suspense regarding the end of Paul, on the last page of Acts.
- Acts 12:1 Herod: i.e., Herod Agrippa I, ruler of Judea and Samaria from A.D. 41 to 44; he was a nephew of the Herod Antipas whom we meet in the Passion of Jesus. James (“the Greater”) was the first of the apostles to drink the Lord’s cup (Mk 10:39) and give his life for the Master; his brother, John, will be the last of the apostles to leave the scene.
- Acts 12:12 Mark: cousin of Barnabas (see Col 4:10); we find Mark in Acts 12:25; 13:5, 13; 15:37-39, and in the service of Paul the prisoner (Col 4:10; Philem 24; 2 Tim 4:11). He was a disciple of Peter (1 Pet 5:13), and tradition considers him to be the author of the second Gospel.
- Acts 12:17 James: this is James the Lesser, a brother of the Lord, i.e., one of Jesus’ collateral relatives; we will find him presiding over the Church of Jerusalem (Acts 15; 17). Peter is said, in words surely carefully weighed, to have gone “to another place”; Acts will not speak of him again.
- Acts 12:20 This time again, in the manner of the Old Testament, the intervention of the hand of God is emphasized. The account poses the problem of war: it is a scourge in which the economy is tied to the will for power. Here the war against Tyre and Sidon is put off thanks to a compromise. But the political pride of a leader who takes himself for God is dissipated by a mortal sickness, which popular tradition interprets as a punishment.
The episode accords with the chronology of the time. It inserts Acts into universal history. Herod died, after a great feast, eaten by worms, in A.D. 44. - Acts 12:24 As in a refrain, Luke again refers to the vital power of the Gospel. With the return of Barnabas and Saul from Antioch, a new page begins.
- Acts 12:25 Mark: see note on Acts 12:12.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
Copyright of the Cornilescu Bible © 1924 belongs to British and Foreign Bible Society. Copyright © 2010, 2014 of the revised edition in Romanian language belongs to the Interconfessional Bible Society of Romania, with the approval of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
